Chapter 26

Bobby's knee was shaking so much that Alex shut her eyes and pretended the bench seat in the Doctor's office was a vibrating massage chair. Abruptly, he stopped. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Alex laughed. "I'm fine, Bobby. Are you?"

He sat back, and his knee started again. "I just wish they would call for you," he said.

"Don't we all," she said, looking around the crowded waiting room. Alex checked the time. Her scheduled appointment was supposed to have started 45 minutes ago. She looked over at Bobby. "I think they do this just to make sure we'll all be able to give them a sample." She got up and disappeared in the bathroom. Bobby picked up a magazine off the table, and scanned the table of contents until Alex finally returned to his side.

"Alexandra," the nurse called from the doorway. Alex got back to her feet with Bobby's hand to steady her and they walked through the door. "We'll need a urine sample," she said.

"I just left one in that other bathroom," Alex said.

The nurse smiled at her and opened the door to the exam room. "Take everything off and lie down. You can cover up with this." She handed her a paper blanket, folded to the size of a small book.

As Alex got ready, Bobby busied himself by taking her clothes, folding them, and setting them in a neat pile on the chair. They didn't wait long until there was a knock and the ultrasound technician came in. She greeted them and hooked up her equipment.

The jelly was cold against Alex's skin. The technician moved the wand over her, turning it and twisting it. She stopped at various points and used the computer to draw lines, to make measurements. Bobby was enthralled. He stood completely still, watching the screen, fascinated not only by his first glimpse of the baby, but also trying to interpret what he saw. When she stopped to measure again, he stole a quick peek at Alex, grinning from ear to ear.

The doctor came in and reviewed the measurements. Then he looked up at Alex and Bobby in turn. "Did you want to know the gender?"

Bobby and Alex looked at each other. They had talked about it, but never really come to a decision. "Y-yeah?" He asked her.

Alex smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said.

The doctor showed them a portion of the picture on the screen in front of them. "See that little, what looks like a hamburger right there? Girl parts."

Bobby stepped forward, trying to make sense of it. "Are you sure?" Alex asked.

"There's always a chance I'm wrong, but I've done a lot of these, and I'd say I'm 95% sure about this one." He looked back over the data in front of him. "Everything looks good."

Their kisses were interrupted for the third time by her cell. Carolyn rolled off the bed and grabbed it from the top of the dresser, modestly throwing on her robe as she spoke, as if they could see her naked through the phone.

Mike rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, waiting.

"All right," he heard her say. "I'll be right there."

His heart sank. He understood, he really did. It was selfish, he knew it, but he just wanted her to stay with him.

She ended the call and walked over to the bedside, her arms holding her robe closed. "I'm sorry, Mike."

He closed his eyes and nodded. He turned his head and gave her the best smile he could muster. "It's okay. I understand."

"I'll make it up to you," she promised, knowing there was no way to make up for these small losses.

He got up and hugged her. "I know you will," he said.

The Eames family was gathered to celebrate Liz's birthday. Bobby held out a hand to steady Alex as she climbed out of the car. Her Dad waited on the porch, grinning at them both.

"Traffic?" he asked.

"That and a long wait in the doctor's office," Alex said, kissing her father's cheek.

He followed them into the house. "How did it go?" he asked.

Bobby almost spoke, but Alex elbowed him in the ribs. "I don't want to repeat myself a thousand times, Dad. Wait until everybody's together." The whole family knew they were getting an ultrasound, and were eager to hear what they found out.

"Can I get you a beer, Bobby?"

He hesitated to answer, getting permission from Alex first. There were a few things she sorely missed: coffee and beer among them. He didn't like to drink in front of her, didn't want to rub it in. "Sure, Mr. Eames," he said quietly. This earned him an exasperated look. "Uhm… Dad," he corrected.

"What would you like, Alex?"

"Do you have chocolate milk?"

Her Dad smiled. "I'm sure I can make some." He disappeared to the kitchen while Bobby and Alex sat on the living room chairs. Bobby pulled the printout from the ultrasound out of his pocket and stared at it.

"She looks just like you," Alex teased in a whisper.

He turned the picture sideways, then upside down. "Maybe, if you get the angle just right…"

Her Dad returned with the drinks, and caught a glimpse of the picture. Bobby handed it to him, and he turned it in circles, finding nothing recognizable. Alex grinned.

"Is it healthy?" John senior asked.

"Yes. The doctor said everything looks fine."

"But you're not going to tell me anything else."

"Not until the rest of the family is here."

He looked at his future son-in-law. "I suppose you won't, either."

"I have to go home with her," Bobby said.

"How's the new apartment?"

"It's coming along," Alex said. "We still haven't figured out what to do with that spare room."

The doorbell rang, and Nate ran straight to Alex. "There's a baby in your tummy," he said.

She laughed. "Yes, there is."

He stared at her. "How'd it get in there? What if it gets hungry?"

Alex blushed, and she was speechless.

"Too many questions, Nate. Did you say hi to Uncle Bobby?"

At the suggestion, he ran and jumped into Bobby's lap. Bobby caught him, just barely managing to protect the family jewels in the process. Nate gave him a bear hug. "I can count!" Nate announced.

"You can?" Bobby gave the boy his full attention.

Nate held out his fingers and demonstrated counting to 5, having some difficulty holding the right number of fingers out. Bobby kissed the top of his head.

"That was great! You really know how to count, Nate."

The ultrasound picture was already making the rounds as Mel and the kids came in the door. After all the hugs and handshakes, Alex's Dad hushed everybody in the room. "I've been waiting a very long time to hear what Alex has to say," he said.

She looked at her Dad. "Johnny's not here."

John senior whined, "He's at the firehouse! He's not coming!"

She winked at him. "Okay, okay." Everyone held their breath in anticipation. "It's a girl." Cheers and laughter filled the room.

Mike liked working in his street clothes. There were some other Detectives around, but the place was much quieter on Saturday than it usually was. He picked up his reports from the printer and sat down at his desk to review them. His phone rang.

"Hey. Yeah, I figured I might as well get caught up on a few things." He signed his reports as he listened to her. "Yeah, it's okay. I'll see you tonight." As he hung up the phone, he was surprised by the Captain.

"What are you doing here?" Ross asked, surprised.

"Just, you know, catching up on things."

"Well, I'm glad you're here. I just got a call. Get your partner over here, as well." Ross headed for his office as Logan followed, dialing Bobby's cell as he walked.

Once inside, Ross turned on his computer and pulled up his email, then printed several pages. He picked up the papers and handed them to Logan, who'd just gotten off the phone. One was a crime scene photo, the other pages were a synopsis of the investigation so far.

"Everything was fine until our guys ID'd the victim. "Sarah Nichols, the daughter of Francis Nichols."

Nothing rang a bell with Logan. He stared blankly at his Captain.

"Francis Nichols, otherwise known as Vamp."

"Oh, I get ya. That rock star."

"Yes. Luckily, we still have some time to work on it before the press gets wind of it."

"Where is Vamp now?"

"He's on his way back from a European tour. He should be in New York by this afternoon. He has already contacted the department and wants to talk to us as soon as he arrives. Meet him at the airport. That's the number right there," Ross said, pointing to the bottom of the email.